The Sand and His Girl
by Dosu2Dinner
Summary: When Tenten is nominated for evacuation to the Hidden Sand Village, she feels like nothing will ever be the same again. And she's right - she quickly gets caught up in the activites of the Kazekage's elite, and she soon realises that she is needed by both Suna and Gaara. GaaTen.
1. I

**Hi guys! This is a new GaaTen fic, and is a request from one of my best friends on FF, Jasmineflowr19876. I really hope you enjoy it, Jasmine, and I hope the rest of you do as well. **

Chapter One: Evacuation

With the new day came changes. And sometimes changes are good, other times they are bad. And right now, Tenten could feel only the strains of bad bearing down upon her, despite the fact that she knew it was for her greater good.

She gazed around her room, hoping she had everything ready. All her possessions were packed professionally, all her weapons, scrolls and other tools, all prepared. Tenten seemed ready to go, but there was still one thing not prepared.

Herself.

She was horrified when her name had been read out on the official list. Who had done that? And why?

With the Fourth Shinobi World War on the horizon, the threat of an Akatsuki invasion of Konoha was constant, haunting many residents who still remembered the Sound Invasion and the Invasion of Pain, and the death a destruction they had caused…

Tsunade quickly organised an emigration list, and allowed anyone to sign up in order to flee the nearby countries and other hidden villages. However, so many ninja of all ages were determined to stay and protect the village, that Tsunade had to organise another emigration list – one where people wrote down who they felt should leave the village, regardless of what the person in question believed. They were kept anonymously, so Tenten had no idea who had written her name down.

But now she had to leave. Today she was heading out towards the Hidden Sand Village, and she wasn't sure if she would ever come back.

She gazed out of the window, hoping for…she wasn't sure really. Maybe a sign. A sign that this was a mistake. That she could remain where she lived.

No.

That, Tenten told herself firmly, was wishful thinking.

Rain was hammering upon her window and her roof, seemingly echoing her mood. Already she could see many other people, nominated for this evacuation, filing down towards the great gates of Konoha, leaving it for perhaps the last time…

Resisting the urge to shatter the window, Tenten turned her back on this dismal scene, and picked up her professionally packed belongings.

Taking a firm look back at what was once her room, she nodded, and, not wanting to loiter any more lest she burst into floods of tears, she turned and strode out.

* * *

A work of art was certainly the word the leaf villagers would use.

A huge wooden coach, at least thirty metres long and powered by pure chakra, it was something to behold. A modern piece of architecture, specially designed to get the evacuees to Suna in less than five hours. Careful, efficient…what more could they ask for?

Even the rain didn't perturb this mighty travel machine as it stood there, seemingly proud of what it would achieve.

A large crowd was gathered near the gate, held back by ANBU. Tsunade stood in front of them, and raised her head to make herself heard.

"This is the brand new form of transport that shall get you to Suna," she declared. "It may look bizarre – but believe me, this is cheaper and easier than a whole mass of people travelling on foot. We can monitor the progress of this transport as well, so you will be in safe hands. So…any questions?"

A hand stuck up from the crowd.

"It doesn't look big enough…" the person began.

"It is designed the carry the first hundred people who were nominated for this," she replied. "But more are under production. In time, everybody nominated for evacuation will be evacuated to Suna."

Tenten, who had just joined the muttering crowd, saw a glimmer of hope. What if she wasn't among the first hundred? Then she may be able to find a way to avoid evacuation when it was her turn!

Tsunade was then handed a list by Shizune.

"The first hundred are…"

And so she began. To her dismay, Tenten's name was almost the first one read out. She felt her heart sink, and a great chasm in it opened, allowing all feelings of icy, cold despair drain in in torrents.

However, she was determined not to let these bleak emotions show. For what reason, she wasn't sure. But it felt good to believe that she had some dignity left in her being.

As the crowd moved forward under the rain, she looked around the grey foreboding street, hoping for a sign of some kind, or maybe just to look at the place she once called home one last time. Though, she would never want to remember a cheerless, drizzly day such as this one. Even if…

She smiled in spite of herself as she turned around, for jogging towards her through the rain was her friend and team-mate, the wild handsome green wild beast of battle, Rock Lee.

"Hi Tenten!" he cried cheerfully, bounding next to her and looking like an inflated cartoon character compared to all the stony-faced evacuees.

"Hi Lee. How are you?" Tenten replied.

"Me? I am great and youthful!" Lee affirmed, unnecessarily loudly.

"I have been training since the crack of dawn! It is great to start early!"

Tenten quickly noticed the mud covering his green jumpsuit.

"In the rain?" she asked incredulously.

"Yes!"

Lee, Tenten realised, was almost never unhappy, even though he used to have the best reason to be. It was always claimed he couldn't be a ninja, and that he would never amount to as much as others. And yet…here he was, smiling in spite of everything. And now Tenten's dread was replaced by a deep sense of guilt and shame…

But there was one thing she wanted to know.

"Lee," she said, her voice quiet. "Was it…was it you who…nominated me for evacuation?"

Lee shook his head.

"No, but rest assured that I would have done." His face became more serious. "I would not want to risk you getting harmed. Remember that time a few years ago when you tried to stop me and Neji fighting and ended up breaking both your legs?"

Tenten could. How could she forget?

"Exactly," Lee continued after Tenten nodded. "I would never be able to live with myself if you were to get seriously damaged or maimed."

Those words caused Tenten's heavy heart to rip itself in two. Breaking down into fits of uncontrollable sobs, she flung her arms around the bushy browed ninja; causing his eyes to grow wide with surprise and making him stagger backwards a few steps.

"Tenten…"

"What…would…I…d-do without…friends like you?" Tenten choked, releasing him and wiping her eyes.

"And…" she paused. "I'm not going to see you…"

"Don't!" Lee advised. "Do not think like that, Tenten! You will see me again! The lotus of Konoha blooms twice! When we see each other again, we will have both become stronger ninja."

Tenten let this sink in. Here was Lee, head normally in the clouds, obsessed with his training and youth, and now, he was including her within this too – the two of them, whilst not among the great elites of the shinobi world were still at it, proving to everyone, especially themselves, that they were strong ninja too.

Tenten was about to say something to Lee, when he said,

"I am afraid I will have to leave you now. Farewell Tenten!" He then held in a brief, one-armed embrace, before sprinting off to continue with his youthful training.

As soon as he was gone, Tenten felt the insatiable urge to run after him. Her very being pined for his companionship – a companionship that she wouldn't have for years.

Great.

The crowd moved forward under the ever-increasing rain, huddling together for warmth. Tenten however, stood alone.

Eventually, she got to the front of the queue that was queuing to get into the chakra-powered coach.

The shinobi who was checking them all in had his lips set in an expression of profound boredom. He looked at Tenten with the same disdainful eye that she had so many times seen in Neji.

"Name?" he muttered, in a voice sounding as flat as his hair was becoming in the rain.

"Tenten Omoiyari," she replied, her voice as flat as his. She was determined not to let her distress show.

"Age?"

"17."

Tenten got the impression that this man had been doing this all day. However, due to her position, her sympathy was withering.

"Your seat is number 86," the shinobi told her, gesturing carelessly towards it with his head.

Tenten, dark thoughts swirling around her mind and threatening to burst from her mouth like projectile vomit, climbed into the vehicle, and sat herself down in the seat marked 86.

It may have been an efficient way to transport all the evacuees to Suna, but the architects really should have focused more on the comfort of this so-called modern miracle. There were two rows of seats set horizontally on the interior, facing each other. But these seats were tiny, wooden things, which were packed together tightly like sardines. Tenten couldn't help but rub shoulders with the large bloke who sat in seat 85 next to her. She inwardly groaned as she caught a whiff of alcohol and body odour.

As the coach filled, Tenten gloomily observed that nobody coming in was a ninja, just regular villagers. She was the only shinobi among them being packed off to a 'safe' out of the way place. So, she was considered the weakest ninja in the village now was she?

"Effin' marvellous," she muttered darkly, feeling that she would like nothing better than vandalise the seats with her kunai.

Eventually, the coach was full…one hundred people, all packed in, barely saying a sound.

The door clicked shut, and soon they began to roll slowly out of the gate, gathering speed as it went.

Tenten leant back and closed her eyes, feeling tears form underneath her eyelids. Of all the times she had to cry, right now was when she did it? In a coach full of strangers?

Though, admittedly, the tears might have been caused by the fact that she banged the back of her head on the tiny thick window above her seat.

Rubbing her head and blinking furiously, Tenten held back, with some difficulty, the scream that was threatening to explode from her.

"Are you alright?" came a small voice. Tenten, forgetting her anguish for a moment, looked for the source.

There was a small boy, no older than seven, sitting opposite her, a look of anxiety in his deep, lavender eyes…

He was a Hyūga.

Tenten felt her anger vanish, to be replaced with mixed curiosity and concern. There were no other Hyūgas in the coach. Was a boy this young really being sent to Suna alone?

"Yes…I'll be fine," Tenten replied. "But…what's your name, and…what are you doing here?"

The little boy smiled and swung his legs, which didn't touch the floor, around.

"My name is Benjiro Hyūga, miss. I'm here because I was nominated for evacuation, like everyone else."

"_He seems to have a better grip on intellect than others his age,"_ Tenten though, warming to him already.

"But surely," she continued. "You're far too young to go on your own…"

"Don't worry, miss," Benjiro replied. "I'm sure I can manage. Lord Hiashi is always telling me how good I am with my fighting and ninja techniques."

Tenten nodded, pondering what he had said. "You…err…like Hiashi then?"

Benjiro nodded happily.

"Yes miss. He's a very good man."

"_Poor deluded lad…"_ Tenten thought. Then, she asked,

"Do you know who nominated you?"

"Yes miss. It was Neji, from my clan."

Tenten had mixed feelings about that. On the one hand, it was nice to see Neji showing concern for others, and yet sending a seven-year-old child alone on an evacuation mission where it was every man for himself was not a guaranteed way of ensuring he survived.

"Alright," Tenten said, coming to a decision. "When we arrive, I want you to stay close to me. I'm pretty sure that this whole thing may not be as safe as it's painted. But I'll try my best to look after you, okay?"

Benjiro looked at her blankly for a few seconds, before his face cracked into a smile.

"Thanks miss!" he said enthusiastically.

Tenten nodded, and gazed out the window, which was now opaque with the torrential downpour.

The coach continued to trundle west, with the occupants making little noise.

Tenten however, began to feel restless. She supposed it was to be expected, but there was something else, something she could only describe as a ninja instinct.

"Benjiro!" she said suddenly. "Look out of the window and tell me if you see anything unusual."

"But why miss?"

"Just do it. Please!"

The boy nodded and activated his Byakugan.

He took a long sweeping, panoramic view, and then gasped.

"Miss!" he said urgently to Tenten. "There's a massive fireball jutsu attack heading straight toward us!"

Everyone in the coach immediately began to panic. Feeling the need to assert herself, Tenten stood up, and was about to tell everyone to calm down and listen to her instructions, when the entire coach was split in two by the force of the fire jutsu finally hitting home.

An explosion of wood and glass greeted Tenten as she was thrown forward along with dozens of others. Her face and arms were soon covered with cuts and scratches as she staggered to her feet. She was in a crouching position when she looked up and saw the whole perspective of the situation.

What was left of the coach was moving through desert territory, but with one of the walls almost completely gone, they could all now see that it was moving on its side, skidding through the sand due to the impact. The chakra that Tsunade had fixed it with was no longer in affect.

"Benjiro!" Tenten cried out, fearing for him greatly, and frantically searching for him. But something else caught her eye first.

Another fireball attack was coming out of the sky, straight towards the remains of the coach.

Tenten quickly reached inside her pouch – any solution was better than nothing – but before she could decide what to pull out, the fireball slammed into the debris, the wood buckled upwards and Tenten knew nothing more.

**Cliffhanger!**

**OK. Rate&Review, as always. I hope you enjoyed it, and if you haven't checked the other fanfics on my profile, then do! I'm also telling you now, that I am open to requests, providing the idea of it does not go against everything I hold dear. Check my profile for more details.**

**Until next time, have a good morning/afternoon/evening/night! **


	2. II

**Hey folks! Here's the next chapter. Sorry it's chronically late and pretty short, but at least it's something. Enjoy!**

Chapter Two

"As far as I can tell, we eradicated the threat."

"Well that's good, but what are we going to do with this one? The leaf villagers are not going to thank us."

"They don't have to know."

"Of course they'll know!"

"But they don't have to know it was us, do they? There, you see? We can put it down as bad engineering work. Now, the most important thing to do is work out what we should do with this one…"

The voices meant nothing to Tenten. She was only dimly aware that anything was being said at all, and it took a while to process in her recently awoken brain. She couldn't move, she couldn't see and she couldn't speak. And quite frankly, she didn't want to.

"She's been thoroughly searched," a voice continued. "The only weapons she was carrying were in her luggage, which is in a secure area…"

Tenten's brain was beginning to speed up. She was starting to take more notice of what was being said…

"Yes," another voice replied. "I saw those weapons; she's got rather a lot hasn't she?"

"Well, that's obviously her specialty…"

Her. They were talking about her…

Fully awake, Tenten finally discovered the reason for her lack of mobility. From what she could tell, she was sitting in a hard wooden chair again, and she had been stripped down to her underwear, and was securely tied to this chair, as well as gagged and blindfolded. Whoever the people who had kidnapped her were, they certainly didn't mess around. Tenten was certain that she had been thoroughly strip-searched.

Trying her best to keep calm, she then replayed what had just been said in her head. Apparently, the only weapons she had had on her were the ones within her luggage, which included her katana. Well – she supposed that was lucky for her. She had ten shuriken in her shuriken pouch – but the thing was, her shuriken pouch was still among the coach wreckage. If they had found her with it, she most likely would have been killed on the spot.

She heard a door open, and she got the impression someone else had entered the room.

"New instructions," a new voice said, one that sounded steady and deep. "We are to allow her on this board."

Allow her on the board? Tenten was confused. She had been taken prisoner surely? She expected some question to come from the other two, but it seemed that they didn't question orders at all. Before she had time to react, her blindfold was pulled off.

She wasn't able to make out much – just a darkened room with a slightly ajar door, a crack of light seeping through it like spilt paint. Two men were standing in front of her, but she could barely make them out, as they wore long, shrouding robes with hoods.

"Alright," one of them said, and Tenten couldn't even work out which one. "You are to be allowed in the board meeting. We will untie you, and then leave you to get dressed. The meeting room is to the left."

Tenten didn't say anything as they untied and ungagged her. She was completely perplexed. This is certainly not what she was expecting. From what she had heard, these were the people who were responsible for the destruction of the coach, and yet they were treating her with the utmost respect. What was the reason for it all, and who was in charge of this set-up, who had ordered her release?

She quickly got dressed, slipped her shoes back on, and exited the room.

* * *

In the meeting room, a man was leaning back in his chair around an oval table. He carried the look shared by many shinobi – he looked as though he had seen better days. He was bald, with stubble and facial hair growing unkempt around his mouth, and his face was so scarred, it looked as though it had been carved out of wood by a very clumsy carpenter. The Suna headband he wore at an angle, as though it had been thrown on carelessly. However, this man was anything but careless. His great care and power as a shinobi was the reason he had been elected leader of such a movement. His name was Hagane Otoko.

Hagane was smoking, the smoke from his cigarette floating dominantly upwards, the only movement within the room. Several other shinobi were seated around the oval table, but they were all waiting.

The door opened.

Tenten walked in, and immediately, she felt all the eyes in the room swivel in her direction like gun turrets. This naturally gave her a great sense of discomfort. She stopped where she stood, and gazed awkwardly around at all the ninja. Finally, Hagane took the cigarette out of his mouth.

"Tenten Omoiyari?" he asked.

Tenten nodded.

"Take a seat," he said.

Once upon a time, Tenten would have had the wit and frame of mind to ask: 'Where should I take it?' But right now, she knew there could be no joking around. She sat down.

"I expect you want some answers," Hagane said, matter-of-factly.

Tenten nodded again, this time more forcefully. "Yeah…I mean…who the hell are you guys?"

"We call ourselves the Scythe of the Sand," Hagane replied. "We are essentially, the secret police of Suna."

Tenten blinked.

"Secret police?" she echoed.

"Yes. In these days of increasing power and strength of the world's shinobi, tighter security is essential." Hagane gave a humourless smile, and blew out smoke.

"Any potential enemies to Suna, and they are instantly eradicated. I'm the acting leader of this movement, Hagane Otoko."

Tenten didn't like the direction this conversation was going.

"So…what, do you govern yourselves?" she asked.

"Well, no," Hagane admitted. "We answer to the Kazekage. But only to the Kazekage." The cruel smile played upon his lips again. "It was he who ordered the destruction of the coach."

Tenten vaguely noticed that one of the ninja around the table, a brunette kunoichi, who whilst older than Tenten was the youngest there, shifted uncomfortably at these words. But Tenten didn't brood over this, as the effects of the words were still sinking in on her. Gaara of the desert, the Kazekage, had ordered the destruction of the coach.

"Why would he do that?" Tenten demanded, and her voice rose in her anger and distress.

Hagane scowled for the first time.

"You are behaving like a brat, not a shinobi," he rebuked her. "Of course the Kazekage HAD to destroy the coach. Why, you ask? Because of the mole conspiracy."

"What…?"

"Let me finish!" Hagane snarled. Tenten noted that none of the other members of the board had said a word during her and Hagane's conversation. At least, she though bitterly, they were disciplined in that sense.

Hagane finished the cigarette, dropped the butt and ground it out with his heel. He then almost immediately lit another one.

"With the Akatsuki as a constant threat," he continued, "many shinobi from the Hidden Villages are expressing the desire to be annexed by them. These supporters of the Akatsuki are prepared to do anything to bring down the Five Kages. These new chakra-powered coaches. They were like a miracle – almost too good. Do you see why there was such suspicion about them? That's why he ordered an attack on it, and we were ordered to examine the coach and the passengers for foul play, and make sure that all survivors where thoroughly examined too. That's why we captured you, and searched you the way we did. However, we found that there was no such mole in the evacuees or the coach."

Tenten closed her eyes, and gave a shuddering exhale.

"OK," she said, trying to be as civil as possible. "OK. OK, I understand. But what happened to the other survivors?"

"Nothing," Hagane replied shortly, taking a draught on his cigarette. "There were no other survivors."

Tenten heard, but she did not believe. It suddenly felt as though a cascade of rocks had just tumbled down into the pit of her stomach.

"No," she said, her voice quavering and starting to crack. "Tell me really, what happened to the-"

"There WERE none!" Hagane snapped, losing all patience with her.

Tenten's thoughts immediately drifted back the Benjiro Hyūga, the innocent young boy, who had been evacuated alone. The optimism about his whole clan, his sweet politeness…he was dead.

"NO!" Tenten yelped, tears filling her eyes and cascading down her face before she could stop them.

"YOU ABSOLUTE BASTARDS! YOU KILLED…"

"Will you grow up?" Hagane snarled, rising to his feet. "People die every day! And this was…"

He stopped abruptly, and quickly drew a kunai to deflect the shuriken Tenten had sent his way. She had made sure to arm herself with her own luggage before she had entered the room. She was on her feet too, and there was a fire in her eyes that was rarely seen.

"Tenten," the brunette sand kunoichi said quickly, becoming the third person to stand up. "I understand you're upset about this, but you need to ensure that none of them died in vain!"

Tenten paused. Then, she slowly turned her head toward her.

"What the hell are you talking about? Who are you anyway?"

"My name is Shimai Taido, and what I mean is, you need to help ensure that the moles of the Hidden Villages do not annex us to the Akatsuki."

"Why me?" Tenten demanded.

"Because," Shimai continued. "You are the only survivor of this catastrophe, and surely you want to make up for the people you lost?"

Tenten considered this for a while.

"What do I have to do?" she asked.

Shimai smiled. It was strange – it didn't seem like something the members of the Scythe of the Sand normally did.

"You need to become a sand kunoichi," she replied. "The Leaf will not take you back. One, you're supposed to have been evacuated, and two, they will resent you for being the sole survivor."

Tenten nodded. It seemed as though the decision had been made for her, she thought despairingly. What else could she do?

"OK," she said, sighing. "I'll join the Sand."

"Good," Hagane said testily. "Then we must go there. But as we cannot be entirely sure we can trust you, I'm afraid you can't know the location of our base."

"What do…?"

Hagane placed his hands in the Tiger Seal.

"Ninja Art, Great Wind Torpor!"

"Oh no!" Tenten protested, sounding not panicky, just exasperated. She had had enough of being knocked out today.

But soon, the winds gusted through her head, and she sank into a deep slumber.

**And that's it. Again, apologies due to its shortness, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. And I also hope none of you are too upset at the death of a certain character…*laughs nervously***

**Anyway, please Rate & Review, check out my profile and other stories, and above all, have a brilliant morning/afternoon/evening/night! **


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